30 August 2009

Many of us know the trying times that fill the crevices of life and most of us do well to tiptoe over the cracked ice to remain atop. These times are necessary for growth and if we are lucky and can see past the hurt, we are able to learn from difficult and painful experiences. If others are lucky, we pass on what we have learned through friendship, kindness, loving, sharing, teaching, and good deeds.

Secret Agent L has passed on her knowledge and temporarily, the task of managing this project to one very lucky and eagerly ambitious affiliate, Secret Agent V (that's me). No one can or will replace Secret Agent L but like any teacher, when sabbatical calls, the trip must be taken. So, with the start of a new school year, the class of Secret Agent V will commence bright and early tomorrow morning. Please direct any questions to her, via this same blog, email, and twitter location, and remember, the syllabus of life is posted here for all to use.

25 August 2009

Secret Agent L knows stress. In fact, she knows a lot about difficulties and pain, too. She's been going through a very, very difficult time as of late. Thank goodness there are remedies out there to help soothe the pain we as humans go through each day. And Affiliated Agent S (see Mission: Toll Booth) seems to know that, too.

What a wonderful way to help someone through a difficult time. No matter how big or small it may seem.

Location: Kingman, Arizona. Safeway grocery store. Floral shop.

Date: Agent did not specify.

Time: Mid-afternoon.

Affiliated Agent S states: "Being an impatient person, I understand stress. I mean, I know stress like the back of my hand. Stress and I are on a first name basis. Did I mention I know stress? Well, I know a woman who developed the cure to handle stress in the body. She is a formulator of high-quality, hospital grade essential oils. And lo and behold, she developed one in particular titled: STRESS. One whiff of the stuff and the olfactory system sends a signal to the brain to CHILL OUT!!! And let me tell ya, the stuff works.

"Needless to say, I want to spread my new found love and adoration of her Stress Aromatherapy Essential Oil. The coolest part of this mission is that she chose to donate her product. A formulator and a giver. Cool lady. Her theory is that anyone she can help become less stressed simply makes the world a better place. She and I both know that people who are stressed tend to have friends who are as well. With that knowledge in mind, she donated three, count 'em, three bottles of oil. One for the lucky person to find, and two for her stressed out friends.

"When we arrived at the Safeway store, we noticed a woman working in the floral department. A man had just dumped over a display and there was water everywhere. She was calling over the p.a. system, 'Clean up in the floral department. Mop needed. Clean up in the floral department.'

"We figured she qualified for 'stress' relief and her little gift was left on her counter while she was distracted with her clean up. We were never seen. We did have one glitch though. We ran out of Secret Agent L cards, so we wrote the site address on the back of one of the bags. Maybe it didn't look as cute as our other missions, but she got the message. And we shopped for our groceries, stress free!

Secret Agent L thanks Affiliated Agent S and the wonderful creator and donor of these oils, and she is going to go online right now and order some for herself. Wonder if there's an oil for heartache...

24 August 2009

Before Secret Agent L became, well, Secret Agent L, she was just a girl going through the world, trying to do good things. She used to live out in the Midwest, and during times she'd drive home to see her family in Pittsburgh, she'd encounter many toll booths. And sometimes she'd pay for the person behind her. Because that's a nice thing to do.

Affiliated Agent S (of the Orlando Airport Travel Bag mission) seems to think along the same lines. And that's awesome. In her travels recently, she decided literally to Pay It Forward.

Date: Agent did not specify, but Secret Agent L believes it was last weekend.

Time: Agent did not specify.

Affiliated Agent S states: "There have been so many times where I was in a rush to get to the Orlando Airport and the last thing I had in my wallet was cash. I am a Debit Card Girl. I don't keep cash on hand, let alone change. Who has time to wait in line, searching for change when there is an important plane to catch? I am impatient, remember? So, my first mission was to pay for someone's toll and make their day flow just a bit more smoothly.

"We pulled up to the booth, paid our own toll, asked the operator to give our extra payment to someone who was struggling to find change.

"We had to leave it up to her, and yes, she did see a carload of girls, but we still felt we were anonymous due to the fact that the recipient never would know. And besides, how does the operator know who the person was in the vehicle? Yes, our mission was accomplished, as you can see by our very quick snapshot of the awesome-confused-but-very-cool-toll-booth-operator:

"P.S. Just in case you were wondering, no cars were held up behind us in our mission. Miraculously, there was not one car in sight directly behind our vehicle. Looks like the Powers That Be were looking over our little operation."

23 August 2009

Secret Agent L loves dogs. Like, more than handbags and stilettos. She loves them so much that whenever she sees one, she does a little "piddle" dance because she can hardly contain herself. Yes, she loves dogs.

So when Affiliated Agent V submitted this mission, Secret Agent L was filled with joy. Acts of kindness shouldn't be limited only to humans. Animals need kindness, too! Well done, Affiliated Agent V!

Location: Fox Chapel, PA. Hartwood Acres Dog Park.

Date: Saturday, 22 August 2009

Time: 1:00 p.m.

Secret Agent L hopes all those little doggies out there at the dog park had a delicious and kindness-filled day!

22 August 2009

Oh, boy. Ohboyohboyohboy. Has Secret Agent L got some missions for you! Sit back, everyone. Get comfy. You're about to witness some serious Agents of Kindness working their magic all over the country. And this is only a few of them from the Secret Agent L inbox! There's more to come!

Secret Agent L is overwhelmed by the response to this project and thanks you from the bottom of her heart for your genuine interest in making this world a reflection of kindness, love, selflessness, and peace. She thanks God for you daily.

Affiliated Agent S states: "Nothing makes me more impatient than long lines in security at the Orlando Airport. All those liquids needing to be screened in perfect quart sized, clear bags, NOT GALLON SIZED, shoes needed to be removed, laptops taken out and put in bins ALL ALONE AND YOU BETTER NOT EVEN PUT YOUR SUNGLASSES IN IT OR THEY WILL SEND IT BACK, belts taken off, pockets emptied, cell phones silenced, jackets ripped off, etc. Then get re-dressed while everyone stares at each other as if we are all back home hanging with our families. It is stressful. It is invasive. It is darned uncomfortable.

"On that note, I felt that a weary, stressed out traveler needed a pick-me-up. This travel bag was our mission. Inside there are 3 oz clear containers in perfect quart size clear bags to make that trip through security a bit easier. And personally, I thought is was darned cute.

"The trick was to leave this bag unattended in an airport. Major security violation. Would they call in the FBI? The bomb sniffing dogs? Would the mission be on the 11:00 news?

"I chose to throw caution into the wind and left the bag on a bench right outside the security checkpoint, undetected. Whew. To make the day even better, there were absolutely no lines and we breezed through homeland security in 5 minutes flat. The Powers That Be sure rewarded us with safe and efficient travel. Ah. Being an Affiliated Agent of Secret Agent L seems to make me less impatient and my day is stress free. Who woulda thunk it? "

Affiliated Agent H states: "The bottle of Sparkling Wine is for a wonderful woman who I met recently. She was attacked about 14 months ago. Her attacker was caught and sent to prison for 45 years with parole after 22 years. I am leaving this bottle with your card and an Operation Nice sign on her doorstep. I had my IT guy take the picture and tweek the back just in case she got on line. So my beginning as a secret agent is with someone I know, but she deserves it! And she has no idea who it is from!!"

Secret Agent L thanks Affiliated Agent H for this kind gesture and for being such a good friend to someone who has been through such a difficult time. (Secret Agent L can relate to difficult times...) We all send our love and friendship and prayers for her. Thanks Affiliated Agent H!

Mission #3: A Pay It Forward Birthday Party for the Best Grandma Ever (AKA- Grandma Twinkle Toes).

Completed by: Junior Affiliated Agent Sparkle Toes (Age 9)

Location: Various spots around Fort Worth, Texas.

Date: Last weekend of summer vacation.

Time: Afternoon.

Junior Agent Sparkle Toes reporting for duty: (Note the clever disguise. The opportunity to wear a blonde wig in public should not be passed up according to Sparkle Toes.)

Part one: Balloons.

Location: Neighborhood playground.

The attached note reads:

Dear Person Who Finds These Balloons,

Today is my Great Grandma’s birthday. This is her Pay It Forward Party! These three balloons are for you!One Balloon is for you to make a wish for you.One Balloon is for you to make a wish for someone you Love.One Balloon is for you to make a wish for the World.

So make your wishes and let the balloons FLY!We hope your wishes come true!If these balloons made your day brighter, please pass it on. Say something nice or do something nice for someone today!

From Your Friend,JR. Agent Sparkle ToesAge 9

Part two: Ice cream.

Location: A Neighborhood in close proximity to Jr. Agent Sparkle Toes’ elementary school on a 100-degree day.

The note reads:

Dear Person Who Drives the Ice Cream Truck,

Today is my Great Grandma’s Birthday. She likes Ice Cream. This is her Pay it Forward Party.

Enclosed is $10 please give the next 10 kids who come to your truck a free Popsicle along with one of the cards inside this envelope. The glitter is for you!

Thank you very much,

From Your Friend,Jr. Agent Sparkle ToesAge 9

Where the heck are all of the ice cream trucks when you need one? Sparkle Toes briefly considered a career in the frozen treat industry, but then thought better of it when her grown up accomplice pointed out that such jobs require a driver’s license. After being chauffeured in and around her fair city for what seemed like FOREVER (with her head outside of the car window, straining to hear the familiar chorus of Pop Goes the Weasel), Sparkle Toes was able to locate the ice cream man. She promptly issued instructions, (which lucky for the ice cream dude were not in secret code) and left with a dripping red Popsicle of her own. Being somewhat sticky, but not much worse for the wear, Sparkle Toes declared the ice cream caper a success and moved on to the final leg of her mission.

Part three: Gifts

Location: The Mall (The best place on earth, as far as Sparkle Toes is concerned).

The note reads:

Dear Person Who Finds This Book,

This was one of my Great Grandma’s favorite stories when she was a little girl. She read it to her daughter, who read it to her daughter, who read it to me! In honor of my Great Grandma’s birthday, we would like to share it with you!

Please enjoy our book with someone you love, then make a note below and leave it where the next mother or the next daughter can find it!

Thanks and Have Fun!

From Your Friend,JR. Agent Sparkle ToesAge 9

Grandma Twinkle Toes is a big fan of The Box Car Children books. As a result, so is Jr. Agent Sparkle Toes. Sparkle says that she would take orphaned children over vampires any day!

Sparkle Toes decided that it would be a great idea to share one of the stories that Grandma Twinkle Toes grew up with, with other girls and their Moms, or Grandma’s, or Great Grandma’s, or Sisters! (You get the idea). Sparkle Toes’ adult accomplice concurred, so it was off to the mall, to spread a little kindness Sparkle Toes style.

The book was left at the food court near Chick Fila in hopes that another girl who appreciates the savory deliciousness of chicken nuggets as much as Sparkle herself would find it. Within seconds, the book was discovered much to the delight of Sparkle Toes. She was however, slightly miffed that the inept accomplice that she had recruited for this mission was caught up in the excitement and failed to take one single photo. On the way out of the mall, Sparkle Toes commented to her somewhat sheepish accomplice. “Kids really need to be the ones to spread the swellness, grown ups just don’t do it right.”

Excellent point Sparkle Toes. Excellent Point. Secret Agent L is honored to have you on her team. Well done!

Affiliated Agent D states: "I finally had the opportunity to complete my second mission. This time it was a "double" mission. We were having an awesome day doing back-to-school shopping at the outlet mall in our area and, we took a little time out to complete our secret agent mission. I have not been very brave in my missions yet, so once again they were completed in the women's restroom. Eventually I will be bolder, I hope!! The first drop was a small bottle of wonderful smelling, locally made lavender aromatherapy spray. The second was a simple pack of sugar free gum.

Our whole day was such fun, and the mission just added to it. :)"

Secret Agent L commends Affiliated Agent D for another successful mission. And remember, no act of kindness is too small. If you are giving from your heart, it will always be huge.

Keep up the good work everyone! And readers, stay tuned for more missions tomorrow!

20 August 2009

Secret Agent L's inbox is overflowing, people. Overflowing with your good works! She can hardly keep up! She must confess that her day job is going to be a bit crazy over the course of the next week, so she might not be able to post as much as usual, but she asks that you stick with her, because after next week, things will return to our regularly scheduled programming.

For now, however, she would like to share with you a sweet mission that an Affiliated Agent performed recently during some cross-country travels.

Affiliated Agent S reports: "I was working in California and decided to visit a winery and wind down. It sure was hot out there in the middle of the day and we feel a girl should be able to soak up the sun whenever she can. Who wants to wear a shirt that blocks the rays? We think women should show off their lovely, God given, perfectly made bodies in a cute tank top and soak up God's rays while she is at it. Don't you? We also believe this tank top should have a positive message on it and full of happy colors.

"This tank top reads, 'Be Passionate. Connect'. And the tag attached encourages the girl wearing it to take care of herself and to get in touch with her own needs so she can better connect to others. Women tend to take care of others before they take care of themselves and they end up just plain cranky and burnt out. I thought this was a perfect place to leave her little gift. After we left the tasting, we quickly set it down at an empty table and rode off into the sunset. Well, to be honest, we rode off to a jacuzzi while the sun set. I decided to take my own advice and take care of myself for a moment. Ahhh. What a perfect end to a perfect day."

Secret Agent L would like you to know that the Affiliated Agent of this mission has many more where it came from. Stay tuned...

18 August 2009

Oh, how Secret Agent L loves Pittsburgh. Loves, loves, loves it. Like, with a capital "LOVE" loves it. So when she gets mission stats from a Pittsburgh Affiliated Agent, she gets an extra jolt of happiness in her veins.

Affiliated Agent A (along with her husband) sent in this completed mission, and Secret Agent L admits she couldn't wait to post it.

Affiliated Agent A reports: "My husband T and I completed our mission Monday at the Pirates game. We purchased a recyclable PNC Park bag and tied a ribbon with your business card and a note saying, "The Pirates may lose, they might even win! Either way...I hope I make you grin!" Right after we dropped it off in the stairwell, we saw two young women walk that way and then a few moments later we saw a PNC employee heading that way as well."

Kudos to Affiliated Agent A for not only being kind, but for also thinking about the environment at the same time. Acts of kindness that are "green" are kind not only for the recipient, but for the planet as well.

Secret Agent L likes to sleep in on Sundays. By the time she finally hauls herself out of bed for Mass, it nears 11 a.m. some days.

But two Affiliated Agents from West Chester, PA, who call themselves Affiliated Secret Unit E. T., gave up their beauty rest to go out and put beauty into their small town in the form of kindness. And not just one act of kindness, folks. Three. Yes, three. It was a Sunday Morning of Triple Threat Caliber.

"We planted the first journal on a sunny table inside Starbucks. We planted the second amidst cow and koi paintings outside the Visual Expansion art gallery. And we planted the final journal outside Moonflower, a hippie shop.

"A few hours later, we noticed that the journals had been taken! Planting these journals was a lot of fun and also a challenge! It's tricky to be sneaky in town, even on a Sunday morning."

Secret Agent L agrees! It IS tricky to be sneaky. But that's half the fun!

17 August 2009

It's time to get back to work. As one of my good friends says, "When you need, give." And as I like to say, "Functioning and getting back to work doesn't mean you don't still hurt tremendously. It doesn't mean you're okay with what happened. But functioning IS okay."

And so, I get back to work.

Little known fact about Secret Agent L:

She's got some mad musical skills. Without giving away too much of her identity, let's just say that she may or may not play three instruments, and they may or may not include the piano, cello, and flute. She may or may not dig classical, and she may or may not love to rock out to Led Zeppelin.

She's just sayin'.

So, what better mission than to spread some music around? Who doesn't like music? It is Secret Agent L's hope that the music she compiled on this here CD will bring joy to the person who finds it. Even if there's only one song on there that they like, maybe it'll open up a whole new genre of music for them!